We have different genres that are complementary to jazz and close to the idiom. This is the 37th outdoor music festival I've organized and I think it's going to be spectacular.

This was a very challenging year, but I'm very proud of this lineup. A lot of other jazz festivals have gone under, but not only are we alive, there are a lot of folks around the country who would pay to see this lineup.

This is an end of summer musical celebration that draws people from all over the globe to experience Detroit music, jazz in particular. We're evolving, that's all. We aren't morphing in to a different festival, just changing the construct a little bit. We're retaining the historical element and adding some things. Blues, funk, soul, gospel -- these are not strangers to Detroit or to folks who enjoy jazz, including me. We need to reach out to a younger audience, and we're attempting to do that.

Jazz isn't dead. It just smells funny.

People are extremely excited about the lineup. In the first place, people are thrilled that the festival is even happening, but beyond that collective sign of relief ... folks are incredibly excited about the number of jazz legends and artists we're presenting in 2005.

There's an incredibly rich rhythm- and-blues and blues tradition in Detroit.